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It’s hard to think of a breakfast less fussy than toast, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be fussy about your toaster. There are a few main categories to consider: your basic 2-slice, 4-slice for more capacity, and long slot, which can accommodate four smaller pieces of sandwich bread or two longer slices. The best models offer useful quality-of-life features that allow you to check on progress mid-cycle, add a little extra toasting time, or even consult a countdown timer, so you know exactly when it’s time to start buttering. They should also be able to deliver anything from barely warmed to nearly burnt bread batch after batch. You shouldn’t have to avoid any slots, either; results should be even across each slice.
We’ve tested more than 20 toasters, and these are our recommendations for the best toasters. For a broader look at what’s available, you might want to check out our overview of the best toaster brands or, if you want to narrow down your search, see the best 2-slice toasters or the best 4-slice toasters.
Best Toaster: Breville Die-Cast 4-Slice Smart Toaster
If you want a top-of-the-line toaster with plenty of quality-of-life upgrades, the Breville Die-Cast 4-Slice Smart Toaster is our top recommendation. Its premium design, extra capacity, and special features set it apart from cheaper options. With a sturdy aluminum body and buttons instead of levers to operate the slots, it looks great on your countertop and provides remarkably convenient operation. The buttons include options for bagels and frozen foods, as well as a ‘Lift and Look’ button that lets you check toasting progress mid-cycle, and the ‘A Bit More’ button that adds a little time to the end of the toasting cycle. It also includes a cycle countdown indicator above the shade selector, which uses LED lights to show approximately when your toast will be ready.
It toasts very evenly, and with a superb toasting range, you can easily make golden-brown sandwich bread or toast denser slices in a single cycle. However, even though it’s one of the best-performing 4-slot toasters we’ve tested, it doesn’t brown bread as evenly as most 2-slot toasters, and as a result, some slots produce toast that’s darker than others on the same setting. It doesn’t compensate very well for the toaster heating up after the first batch, either, so if you’re making a lot of toast, you’ll want to use a lower setting for the second round to get consistent results. On the plus side, its slots can be lifted high enough to easily grab smaller items, and each pair of slots can be operated independently, which is handy when two people want to use the toaster at the same time.
Best Upper Mid-Range Toaster: Smeg 2-Slice Toaster
The Smeg 2-Slice Toaster is a high-end unit with a superb overall performance. It has a premium stainless steel body with wide, deep slots that can easily handle bagels and thick sourdough slices. Unlike the Breville Die-Cast 4-Slice Smart Toaster, this is a fairly simple unit. You won’t find a cycle countdown indicator or special features like Breville’s ‘Lift and Look’ and ‘A Bit More,’ but it has the essentials: buttons for bagels and frozen items, along with a ‘Reheat’ setting found on the shade selector dial. It also comes in a long list of glossy colors and patterns, so you can find one to match almost any style.
When it comes to toasting, this model offers fantastic performance. It offers an exceptional toasting range, so you can make barely toasted sandwich bread, toast denser breads in a single cycle, or completely char a bagel. No matter what you’re toasting, it comes out very evenly browned on both sides. That said, it tends to make darker toast after the first batch, so if you’re making toast for the whole family, you’ll have to change the settings in between batches to get consistent results. Still, if you’re looking for a high-end toaster that delivers superb performance without a lot of complicated features, this one is an outstanding choice.
Best Mid-Range Toaster: Breville the ‘A Bit More’ 2 Slice
If you like the look of our top pick, the Breville Die-Cast 4-Slice Smart Toaster, but don’t need as much capacity, the Breville the ‘A Bit More’ 2 Slice might be a good fit for you. It’s a great choice if you want a higher-end look and extra quality-of-life features. Like the Smeg 2-Slice Toaster, it has a sturdy stainless steel body, and it has long, deep slots that are twice as wide as a piece of regular sandwich bread, so it can easily accommodate thicker slices and chunky bagels. It shares most of the larger Breville’s special features: the ‘Lift and Look’ feature lets you check on your toast without interrupting a cycle, and the ‘A Bit More’ button adds some extra toasting time. It also has a cycle countdown indicator, so you can tell exactly when your toast will be ready.
It has a fantastic toasting range, so you can get anything from very light toast to well-browned multi-grain or rye bread with just one cycle. It toasts the bread very evenly, too, and it’s very consistent from slot to slot, though you might notice that the inner face of the toast ends up darker than the outer face. And, if you need lots of toast for the occasional brunch party, it’ll provide consistent results even after multiple batches.
Best Budget Toaster: Black+Decker 4-Slice Toaster TR4900SSD
The best toaster we’ve tested at a budget-friendly price is the Black+Decker 4-Slice Toaster TR4900SSD, which is typically available for less than $60. This toaster lacks the Breville the ‘A Bit More’ 2 Slice’s premium features, like the ‘A Bit More’ button and the ‘Lift and Look’ feature, but it’s still made of metal, with a stainless steel body. The slots aren’t as deep, long, or wide as the Breville’s, so they may not fit larger artisan bread slices. However, you might prefer its less bulky shape if you have limited counter space.
It toasts bread evenly and consistently, so the entire surface comes out evenly toasted, and you don’t have to switch to a lower setting after the first batch to get the same results. With seven shade settings that range from lightly toasted to charred, it’s easy to get perfect golden-brown toast, and it’s possible to brown denser breads in a single cycle. It also has modes for bagels, thawing, and toasting frozen items, but it lacks cycle countdown indicators, so there’s no way to tell when a toasting cycle will conclude.
Best Cheap Toaster: Black+Decker 2-Slice Toaster T2569B
If you only care about the essentials, the Black+Decker 2-Slice Toaster T2569B is an incredible option available at a very affordable price, usually less than $40. This inexpensive toaster doesn’t have cycle countdown indicators or a ‘Lift and Look’ feature like the Breville the ‘A Bit More’ 2 Slice, and its plastic body doesn’t look or feel as premium as the Black+Decker 4-Slice Toaster TR4900SSD. In fact, beyond the shade selector, the only features you’ll find on this simple toaster are buttons for bagels and frozen items.
With all that in mind, it’s a real standout where it counts the most. The slots are wide enough for thick slices and deep enough for taller slices. Its incredible toasting range means you won’t need to push your toast down again to get multi-grain bread or bagels properly browned. It toasts the entire surface of the bread evenly, and both slots perform similarly. It also produces consistent results, even across several batches, so you can prepare a large batch of toast at the same setting without burning it. And, when your carbs are ready, the slots lift high enough to reach smaller items, like English muffins, without burning your fingers.
Best Long-Slot Toaster: Smeg 4-Slice Toaster
If a slice of your favorite bread won’t fit into a regular toaster slot, you might need a long-slot model like the Smeg 4-Slice Toaster. Like the Smeg 2-Slice Toaster, this high-end option has a glossy retro design and comes in lots of different colors. The slots are long enough to fit artisan slices or a couple of pieces of sandwich bread side by side and wide enough for bagels. It has settings for bagels and frozen items, but no cycle countdown indicators, so you can’t tell when your toast will be ready. You can easily add more time to the end of a cycle with the ‘reheat’ function, though.
It has a good toasting range, so you can make barely warmed sandwich bread or golden-brown toast, though you may need to run a second cycle to properly brown denser bread. Your toast comes out very even, too, but you get significantly different results depending on where you place your bread in either slot. If you don’t mind a little unevenness between each slice, it’s a great choice when you need to make lots of toast for a big family breakfast or brunch, since it produces similar results batch after batch.